Keeping Track of Where Cultures Collide, Co-Mingle and Cozy-Up From My Little Slice of the World

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Racist Americans banned from Britain

So the UK is taking a stand against extreme right wing shock jocks by banning them from the country. They also will not allow terrorists, Neo-Nazis and former KKK members in country either. Yesterday, British Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith made public her list of people banned from entering the UK because of their extremist views and/or deplorable behavior. On the list is an American radio talk show host named Michael Savage. I'd never heard of him, but apparently he has the third largest radio audience in the United States thanks to his unrepentant stance towards being a very ugly American. I heard a clip of his show this morning where he basically advocated for deportation of all Muslims.

Jacqui Smith said this about her decision to include Savage on her list of banned individuals, "[Savage is] someone who has fallen into the category of fomenting hatred, of such extreme views and expressing them in such a way that it is actually likely to cause inter-community tension or even violence if that person were allowed into the country."

In response, Savage plans to sue Britain for defamation. And of course the issue of free speech starts cropping up in the discussion too.

Now I'm going to say something here which may get me in trouble with my First Amendment friends, which is, Rock on UK. I'm glad they are taking a stand. I am glad they are able to say we don't want those kind of people in our country. Of course there is a slippery slope to be wary of if one person is in charge of defining morality. But come on people, why can't somebody take a stand and say, 'you're disgusting opinions and disdain for the the diversity of the human experience has no place in our country.'

I wish we could ban these people too. Or at least exile them to a small island where they wouldn't have to deal with colored folks or people who worship a different God, or who speak a different language. Is that an option?

What do you think? Is the UK wrong for banning Michael Savage from entering their country? To read more about the situation, check out this article from The Independent. Then tell me what you think.

8 comments:

hey this is my first time on your blog and I read all the previous posts i spent like 2 hours last night but it was well worth it.

I'm British, well Nigerian British and I do have to say that they really try here to be welcoming to people and even though they will always be crazy people thankfully they are ignored and people don't use the free speech excuse.

britain's got plenty of racial problems of their own to begin with. i mean, i was never called a 'n*gger' or harassed by skinheads on u.s. soil, 3 years in britain, and it happened twice.

unfortunately, i can't help but think of this as some kind of ploy to get the world thinking, 'hey, we may not have a black president but we are still waaaay ahead of americans when it comes to race'. in my experience brits love nothing more than to be waaaay ahead of americans on things. and targeting american bigots, instead of their own, well, all the better.

sorry. i deal with too much anti-americanism in europe (much more than racism, actually) to think this is purely about right and wrong.

Nallama, Welcome to the Meltingpot. So glad you found us. And thanks for sharing a Black British perspective.

Oli, I agree. And thanks for the historical info on the law.

Dee, Go ahead, name those names:) Maybe we should all practice public shaming. Do you think it would have an effect?

I, You know I totally hear you on the point that there is a feeling of hypocrisy in this move as the UK has plenty of homegrown racists in their midst. But I guess that shouldn't preclude them from excluding new ones to add to the mix.

the issue here isnt racism, it is what is being done by the law to stop it. in american, nothing is done to stop it. there are no laws against racism, whereas i have seen laws against racism in britain, even in right wing stronghold areas (ie lancaster gate). banning savage from britain is the least we can do. mr savage really lives up to his name. i have never heard his work, but know many types like him in america. personally, i believe savage should be jailed for what he has done. it's funny how america jails people for just about everything, but when it comes to the important things, people seem to be free to cause trouble. i guess thats what americans mean when they always talk about the "freedom" that i seem to know nothing about or have not seen in america. americans are under the illusion they have freedom of speech. for the most part, in america, you are free to make racist statements, and promote hatred. however, if you want to say something that is perceived as left wing, then your speech is not so free. imagine if any of us were to say things like "u.s. troops are murderers", or the "usa is a threat to world peace". americans think they are free, but how often do you hear anyone saying free palestine. how free do you think your speech would be? on the other hand, it is ok to say "all blacks are on welfare", "hispanics are leeches on society", "muslims are evil". the truth is, americans are one of the most restricted people in the world and all seem to share the same brain when it comes to ideas an opinions. their opinions are so similar because american society in general do not allow people to deviate from the mainstream.